RN Specialized in Labor and Delivery Loves Her Job

This interview will take you through the ups and downs you can expect as a RN Specialized in Labor and Delivery, what it takes to land the job, what you can expect to earn and more.

I am an RN specialized in labor and delivery. I work for a local hospital and have ten years of experience in this field. I would describe myself as busy, self-reliant and happy.

I am a Caucasian female. I don’t think being female or Caucasian has helped or hurt me in my field as I have never experienced discrimination in my line of work. I think this field is very open to different races, cultures and genders.

My work entails monitoring the vital signs of the mother and her fetus. If there are any signs of distress during childbirth, such as unconsciousness and/or erratic heart rates, I react accordingly. I also accommodate the mothers-to-be with their childbirth preferences as well as giving them general care and attention from start to finish. I coach them through the entire process. There are more specifics, but generally, that is what I do.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate my job satisfaction as a 9. I wish there were more nurses on the floor because sometimes we are saddled with so many patients that it becomes very difficult to keep up with everything.

This job can be moving in the way that you see life begin, each and every day. It can also be sad when we see a stillbirth. I try not to cry, but eventually, out of view of the patient, I do. It takes a few days to stop thinking about something like that. I just try to remember that these things are out of our control and hope that we see the patient again, giving birth to a healthy baby later on.
There is really nothing unique about my experience or accomplishments.

I always wanted to be a nurse, and I wouldn’t change a thing about my experience. Ironically, there was only one spot open for training when I completed all of my requirements for nursing. I took the labor and delivery job and I have been doing it ever since then.

Doing this job teaches many lessons. One lesson is to document everything. I once forgot to document a medication and was written-up because it was required. We were taught to do this systematically, but it was so busy that night. Somehow, I neglected to document it and it went on my record. I learned that the hard way.

The single most important thing I have learned outside of school about the working world is that no matter what mood I might be in, my level of skill has to be up to par. There are no excuses; the patients need care and the hospital has to keep running.

The strangest thing that ever happened to me in this job was one night we were short staffed, and I went to get a bed pan and the patient apparently decided not to use the bed pan, electing to go to sleep instead. Before she settled in to sleep, she removed her artificial hair ponytail clip and just stuck it in the bed pan. As I stated before, we were very busy, I had my mind on several other things I had to do before my shift was done. I went to grab the bed pan and jumped about a foot high upon seeing this hairy thing in the pan. I thought it was some kind of rodent or small animal that had crawled into the pan.

I get up and go to work everyday because I love what I do. I really feel good when I see a happy mom who is in love at first sight with her baby. Who wouldn’t love seeing that? I witness life’s beginning, over and over each day at work.

The challenges I face are that I have three children. I work long shifts and exhaustion is my main challenge. There never seems to be enough time to accomplish everything at home. Luckily, my husband is very helpful. I don’t think I would ever want to quit nursing so I am happy to have the help.

My job is very stressful. We deal with people in pain and they aren’t always calm about what they are going through. Coupled with the fact that hospitals are generally short on staffing, it causes stress trying to attend to everything and everyone that needs attention. Maintaining a healthy work balance involves getting enough rest, a good, healthy diet and spending enough time with my husband and children. They are always good for laughs and great fun. That makes me forget about stress.

The salary range for my position is about 25k through about 89k, depending on experience and the city you work in. I feel I am paid enough for my services. I also have room to grow in the salary area. I always live within my means, so I am happy.

I take about 3 weeks of vacation a year. I feel that’s enough for me.

The education skills needed are: RN license with a BS in Nursing (BSN), Associate’s Degree, (ADN), or hospital diploma. Labor and Delivery RN’s are required to be educated in neonatal resuscitation and fetal monitoring.

I would tell a friend that was considering this kind of work that they need to have a lot of energy and they will have to be able to balance the rest of their life well. Coping skills are important too.
In five years, I would like to be in a supervisory position in Labor and Delivery.

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